1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to containers that hold and electrically connect to batteries, and in particular to containers that can alternately hold and electrically connect to two different sizes of batteries.
2. Background of the Invention
Many electrical devices use batteries for their power source. Two common types of batteries are the "AA" battery, with a total voltage of 1.6 volts each, and the nine volt "transistor" battery. These two battery types have different sizes, shapes and dimensions and different locations for their electrical terminals.
An "AA" battery is cylindrically shaped having two electrical terminals at opposite ends of its cylindrical body. Usually "AA" batteries are held in place by electrical contacts mounted in an insulated box which contact the electrical terminals at opposite ends of the cylindrical body. The contacts, as well as the insulated box, hold the battery in place. The electrical contacts make the electrical connection between the battery terminals and the device.
A "transistor" battery is a rectangularly shaped box having two electrical contacts located on the same end of the box. Each terminal has a snap having a different shape which is designed to mate with a snap of an opposite shape. The two snaps are usually contained in a single electrical connector. Additional means are necessary to hold the battery in place after the electrical connections are made.
There are electrical devices that have the versatility or the requirement to alternately utilize either 2 "AA" batteries or 1 "transistor" battery. For these devices to alternately use different types of batteries, two battery holders are currently necessary; one for the "AA" battery and its electrical connections, and one for the "transistor" battery and its electrical connections. Interchanging batteries can be necessary when different voltages are alternatively required, or for the versatility that either type of battery can alternately be used if the other type of battery is not available.
These two types of batteries, which have different sizes and different electrical connections, currently cannot alternatively be inserted into a single battery holder such that each type of battery is held in place and all electrical connections are properly made.
The prior art disclosed using a standard "AA" battery holder that holds 2 "AA" batteries and with an external electrical connector for a "transistor" battery which is fixed on the outside of one end of the holder. The "transistor" battery attaches to the outside of the "AA" battery holder, which requires additional space be provided next to the "AA" type holder to accommodate the additional space needed for the "transistor" battery.
Today's micro-electronic devices require all their elements, including the power source, to utilize a minimal amount of space. The prior art battery holder assembly, as disclosed hereinabove, is almost double the size of standard 2 "AA" battery holders. Because of the additional space requirements, this larger battery holder assembly cannot be substituted into existing equipment, and new equipment must supply double the space in order to utilize the versatility of alternating between the two different types of batteries.
For devices that can utilize either type of battery, there is a need for a single battery holder that can accommodate either 2 "AA" batteries or 1 "transistor" battery in the same compact box in which electrical connections are properly made when either type of battery is inserted into the battery holder. There also is a need to provide a means for securing either type of battery in place which is independent of, and supplemental to, any securing means accomplished using the battery terminals.
Another problem with the use of "transistor" batteries is that the single unitary electrical connector used with the "transistor" batteries damage easily and are difficult to use. These types of batteries may need frequent replacement. There is a need for a "transistor" battery holder that requires the user only to insert that battery in place, and such insertion makes all the necessary electrical connections as well as firmly secures the battery in the holder.